Economics

On Consumption

November 29, 2024Ernie Gray

Today is Black Friday, the day where most of the citizens of the United States, after participating in a day of gorging on food and disposing most of it into the garbage get into their automobiles and swarm to various department stores to buy stuff they don’t need and justify it because the goods are supposedly deeply discounted, marking the beginning our annual mania of consumption of mass consumer products. In a 2019 study, it was estimated that 80% of these goods will end up in landfills.

Agile & Jazz

November 16, 2024Ernie Gray

Software product development and jazz music share a remarkable similarity in their essence: both are grounded in creativity, exploration, and improvisation.

Healing the Digitally Distressed Mind

February 29, 2024Ernie Gray

It’s not until you schedule an intentional “digital detox” that you’ll see how much compulsive behavior punctuates your life and how much willpower it will take to permanently change it.

You Don’t Believe This Sounds

March 25, 2023Ernie Gray

Perhaps the most important bias in our tone is the cognitive one.

Professional Advertising Is Dead. Long Live Advertising.

December 30, 2011Ernie Gray

About eight years ago, I started to notice a bizarre phenomenon. I was paid by people to make things look “professional,” yet I repeatedly noticed that consumers were suspicious or oblivious to much of the visual language that was established by the past century of professional ad design. I looked around for some theorist to … Continue reading Professional Advertising Is Dead. Long Live Advertising.

Social Media Marketing Genius In Ten Minutes

December 27, 2011Ernie Gray

Jumping off of bridges, wearing your pants below your underwear, investing in any stock with a .com in the name, credit default swaps, the atkins diet, asking people to follow their business on facebook out of nowhere — there are a lot of things that people do in great numbers because everyone else is doing … Continue reading Social Media Marketing Genius In Ten Minutes

To The Maverick Go The Spoils

August 21, 2010Ernie Gray

The biggest challenge for businesses of all types these days is greater competition for dwindling market share. Unless you have a completely exclusive product or service that has an uncontested monopoly, you probably find yourself having to take less for what you sell. As a friend said during lunch the other day, “people just aren’t … Continue reading To The Maverick Go The Spoils

Is Your Pricing Leaving Money On The Table?

August 20, 2010Ernie Gray

Determining the value that people place on what you do or sell isn’t easy. Setting a price that is too high helps your competition, yet setting your price too low leaves money on the table and possibly a LOT of money — a 5% increase in price can be huge in many businesses. Recent research … Continue reading Is Your Pricing Leaving Money On The Table?

Three Common Traps For New Websites

September 11, 2009Ernie Gray

There are few deadly traps that almost every business falls into on their web campaign, and your developer may not steer you clear of them. Even though I’ve produced or collaborated on hundreds of websites, I still like a good reality check to keep me on my toes. The web development community has been playing … Continue reading Three Common Traps For New Websites

Why Move Part of Your Ad Budget To Web?

September 10, 2009Ernie Gray

Ive’ officially changed my opinion on web advertising: it’s time to set the record straight. Ok, you are probably thinking, “of course this guy is going to suggest that I move my ad budget to web: he’s a web consultant!” Well, I may be a web developer, but I’m also a businessman and a pragmatist. … Continue reading Why Move Part of Your Ad Budget To Web?

Give Hank The Boot

October 11, 2008Ernie Gray 1 Comment

Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s high time that Hank Paulson gets his act together or steps aside before the next administration chooses his successor. The US markets are gyrating wildly to the hastily cobbled together ‘bailout’ that was supposed to dampen things down.

When The First Amendment Is The Poison

October 6, 2008Ernie Gray

If I were a head of state in a western style “free market democracy” right now, I would probably secretly resent constitutional clauses that would restrict my government’s ability to censor the media. Faith, which is the essence of our financial system, had a fighting chance before our media outlets doggedly reported that we were … Continue reading When The First Amendment Is The Poison

Watts The Solution?

July 21, 2008Ernie Gray

The future of the American energy crisis is clean electricity. With clean electricity we can power our current interstate infrastructure, keep our car culture, and continue to enjoy our transportation independence. We can move goods around the country, and actually do it cheaper than ever before.

Health Care: Why is it so damn expensive?

August 29, 2006Ernie Gray 1 Comment

My brother, Adam emailed me this morning about a whopping hospital bill he received for a recent visit to the ER… “Eighteen-Hundred freaking dollars for an IV and a gurney???” Absurd, isn’t it? We all know horror stories like this. A simple visit to the hospital because of a real emergency (like severe dehydration, in … Continue reading Health Care: Why is it so damn expensive?

It’s A Bubble Bath…

August 28, 2006Ernie Gray 1 Comment

After feeling like such a brooding nag in my last post about a cliff-notes depth look at the sacred texts in Islam, I thought I’d follow up with a nice 1-2 combo on something equally dour and that matters to you and just about everyone you know: the future of your economy. Yeah, I know, … Continue reading It’s A Bubble Bath…